When Kirishima woke early the next morning he was startled to realise that his arms were still wound tightly around Bakugou.
This wasn't part of his plan, this wasn't casual. He slowly lifted his arm, being careful not to wake him when Bakugou's hand closed around his wrist "No." Bakugou thread his fingers through Kirishima's and tucked his arm back around him "Not yet."
His voice was thick with sleep and Kirishima wasn't sure if it was because he'd just woken up or if he was actually still asleep but he had no choice but to give in and lay back down.
Bakugou woke sometime later and was surprised to find Kirishima's arms still wrapped around him while he slept. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. Their arrangement was casual, no feelings involved, just enjoying each other's bodies. This wasn't casual at all, and he was scared by how much he liked it.
He softly pried Kirishima's arms away from his body and slipped out of bed. He needed a shower.
Kirishima woke to the sound of the shower and sat up against the headboard, squinting his eyes against the invasive morning light. The harsh light of the morning brought with it a reality check; although he didn't regret what they'd done, he had to remind himself to be careful. Katsuki had called him Love and didn't even seem to be aware of what he'd said.
But this wasn't forever.
This was only for right now.
He could enjoy it right now but he couldn't let his heart get involved. It would only hurt that much more when he left. For both of them.
Even though his head knew this, he was still conflicted. He was really enjoying what they were doing and he didn't want it to be just sex. He wasn't the kind of person who could do just sex. It was manly to be in touch with his emotions and he definitely was so it would never be just sex to him, even if that's all it was to Katsuki.
He knew that should have bothered him but he also knew what he was getting himself into. He decided he would take what he could get while it lasted and deal with the consequences later. Katsuki was worth it.
To keep himself occupied he decided to make them both breakfast while Kat finished up. He placed their food on the small table and called out to him that breakfast was ready when he wanted it.
Bakugou emerged in a grey shirt and black pants still rubbing his hair with a towel soon after. There was a slight undercurrent of tension, not uncomfortable but a little awkward as neither of them knew what to say.
In light of his new attitude, Kirishima wasn't sure how to start a conversation but the silence stretched a little uncomfortably until a thought occurred to him. He brought his cup of tea up to his lips to hide his smile as he said "So, do you have just the one sex toy or have you quite the collection?"
Bakugou's chopstick dropped to his plate with a clang and the sound rang through the small room, punctuated only by Kirishima's amused snort.
"Is this really appropriate breakfast time conversation?" Bakugou replied, embarrassment red on his cheeks.
Kirishima grinned "Probably not but I basically fucked you through the mattress last night and you're gonna tell me this isn't appropriate?" He shrugged "And I'm genuinely curious."
With the tension sufficiently broken, he went back to eating while he waited for an answer.
Bakugou swallowed before he spoke "I have... a couple."
Kirishima's eyes lit up at this information. "Oh yeah?"
Bakugou rolled his eyes at him wondering if there was an easy way out of this particular conversation "So what?"
"What's your favourite?" Kirishima teasingly asked.
Bakugou huffed but turned it back on him "Why? You in the market for some?"
Kirishima was unfazed by his teasing "Maybe. What would you recommend?"
Bakugou rolled his eyes at him again "You're insufferable." He stuffed some more rice into his mouth before swallowing and saying "Don't you have to go shopping? The ball is tonight, did you get a mask?"
Kirishima shook his head, reminded that it was a masquerade ball. He didn't really understand the point of a masquerade, considering everyone would know who each other was anyway but it was tradition apparently. "Did you get one?" He asked.
Bakugou smirked at him "My costume happens to conveniently come with a mask."
Kirishima looked back at him in amusement "Are you seriously wearing your mask?"
Bakugou shrugged and smirked at him "Why not?"
Even though they both had the morning off, all their senses were on high alert and they were both vigilant while they entered the mall to find Kirishima a mask.
He finally found a scarlet one that was really more a strip of cloth with eyeholes in it that tied at the back. He liked the way it looked so he'd settled on that one, finding a matching tie to complete his outfit.
Kirishima was surprised at how easily they had slipped back into being friends and working together after they'd had sex. He thought there would be an undercurrent of awkwardness but he was pleasantly surprised to find none after this morning.
They arrived at the Governor's mansion at five o'clock. They were to patrol the grounds until the ball started at seven then they were to blend in as guests, hence the need for formal attire and masks. Their shift ended at ten, at which time they were free to enjoy the festivities until midnight.
They stepped through the entryway and were directed to a sitting room down a hall. Kirishima caught a glimpse of the ballroom on their way past. It seemed as though every staff member was needed in the ballroom at once; it was organised chaos but they operated like a well oiled machine, obviously used to organising events like this one. From the few second glace he'd caught of them, he held no reservations that the mess of preparations would be complete and ready to receive guests in a few short hours.
When they returned from their final sweep of the gardens, they stopped in the sitting room to secure their masks and headed toward the sounds of the band. Kirishima was unsurprised to find the ballroom completely transformed. Hundreds of candles lit the room and flowers lined every available space. He leaned closer to Bakugou and reluctantly said "I guess we had better go mingle. I'll find you at ten?"
Bakugou nodded before he turned and headed into the quickly thickening crowd.
Kirishima spotted Tetsutetsu among the masked faces he called out and waved him over "Hey Tets! What's going on, man?"
"Riot, bro! I haven't seen you in ages."
"You didn't get a mask either? Are you serious!?" Kirishima asked, was he the only one who had actually bothered to buy a mask?
Tetsutetsu laughed "I know it's kinda cheating when it's my face but you gotta make the most of what you've got, right?" He said, referring to the markings around his eyes.
Even though Bakugou had found other people to converse with, his eyes strayed over the crowd, continuously landing on Kirishima. How could he not when he looked so damn good? There was just something about a guy in a suit. No. There was just something about Eijirou in a suit.
Kirishima checked the time, five minutes until ten. Both his and Katsuki's shifts finished in five minutes. He'd had a hard time keeping his gaze away from Kat in his well fitting black suit. It defined every angle and curve of his body and Kirishima had to physically angle his body away from him so he wouldn't keep looking.
Seeing as though they were breaking all the rules now he wondered if he could convince Katsuki to find somewhere private to slip away to for a few minutes. He decided to just go for it. Sure, they'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble if they were caught but he knew Kat was pretty stealthy when he needed to be.
At five minutes past ten he found Bakugou finishing up a conversation with a retired hero and he came up to stand beside him as they said farewell.
"Ready to go?" Bakugou asked.
His hand discreetly brushed against Bakugou's thigh and he looked at him out the corner of his eye. He subtly turned toward him and the back of Kirishima's hand brushed against the back of Bakugou's ass. "Not quite yet." Kirishima replied.
"What are you doing, Eijirou?" It came out low and soft.
"Hopefully convincing you to come with me to get some fresh air. What do you say?"
Bakugou softly snorted "As if I can say no to you."